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Clinical Teaching: Copyright

Copyright tutorials

Common questions

Creator/author

  • In Canada, an original work is automatically protected by copyright and the author/creator owns the copyright. 
  • Publisher
    • Traditionally, authors have assigned their copyright to a publisher; however, new publishing models allow authors to retain some or all of their copyrights.
  • Employer
    • If you create/author a work over the course of your employment, your employer owns the copyright – unless there is an agreement to the contrary.
  • Another party
    • If an author/creator has transferred/sold their copyright to someone else and no longer owns it; for example, if you sell the rights of a song you wrote to Sony, Sony would be the copyright owner.

 

Ontario Health Libraries Association. (2013). A guide to copyright for Canadian hospitals, 2013: An instructional resource [PDF file]. Retrieved December 5, 2018 from: http://ohla.on.ca/ohla2017/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/OHLA_Guide_to_Copyright_2013.pdf

The Canadian Copyright Act stipulates the following: “The term for which copyright shall subsist shall, except as otherwise expressly provided by this Act, be the life of the author, the remainder of the calendar year in which the author dies, and a period of fifty years following the end of that calendar year.” (Copyright Act, R.S., 1985, c. C-42, s. 6)

 

Copyright Act. Revised Statutes of Canada (1985, c. C-42, s.6). Retrieved from:
https://laws-lois.justice.gc.ca/eng/acts/c-42/page-3.html#h-5

When a work has entered the public domain, the copyright has expired on it. You won’t be infringing on copyright if you use/reproduce the work, nor are you required to get permission to do so from the copyright holder (Harris, 2014, p. 133).

 

Harris, Lesley Ellen. (2014). Canadian Copyright Law. Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Call Number: KE 2799. H37 2014 NOSMW.

Sadly, no. Images that you find on the internet through a Google search are, the vast majority of the time, protected by copyright. This means that if you want to make use of a particular image, you’ll need to seek out permission from the copyright owner to use it. Exceptions: images in the public domain or images that have been created under a creative commons licence-which will outline the terms and conditions that govern its use.

 

"Creative Commons is a global nonprofit organization that enables sharing and reuse of creativity and knowledge through the provision of free legal tools. Our legal tools help those who want to encourage reuse of their works by offering them for use under generous, standardized terms; those who want to make creative uses of works; and those who want to benefit from this symbiosis." (What is Creative Commons and what do you do?) More information about Creative Commons is available from their FAQ.

Where to find images

See the complete A-Z list of multimedia resources. 

For more information

Go to the Copyright subject guide for more detailed information. 

Whenever you have any copyright-related questions, feel free to send an email to askthelibrary@nosm.ca.